Bridging research and practice to develop a two-way bilingual program

The development of a two-way bilingual program for children in preschool th rough second grade is described. The program was developed through a partne rship between researchers and teachers. Researchers shared findings from pr evious studies, which were used to guide basic decisions about the nature o f the program. They then collected systematic classroom observation data th e first year of the program to guide programmatic fine-tuning for the secon d year. Observation data showed some gaps between the instructional program that was planned and the one that was implemented, especially in the amoun t of Spanish spoken. Data on children's academic achievement showed very fe w differences in the academic gains of native English- and native Spanish s peakers in the bilingual program, and native English speakers in the Englis h-only classrooms. The discussion focuses on how teacher-researcher partner ships can be used to improve educational programs. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scienc e inc. All rights reserved.